Six Hebei Province Residents Arrested for Studying Falun Gong’s Teaching, Interrogated Before Being Released on Bail

(Minghui.org) Six Li County, Hebei Province, residents were arrested while studying Falun Gong’s teaching together. All of them were interrogated and later released on bail.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Ms. Cui Shumei, 72, Ms. Wang Yuemin, Mr. Qi Luxin, Ms. Cao Hongmei and Ms. Liao Xiaoyan were studying Zhuan Falun, the main text of Falun Gong, at Ms. Li Hexia’s home at around 9 p.m. on May 15, 2022, when the police suddenly broke in. 

Wang Hui, the head of Li County Domestic Security Office, stood in the front, with Qi Lijin from the Chengguan Police Station guarding the door. In the front yard, armed officers stood in two rows, three feet apart, all the way to the main road, where several cars were parked. More officers were sitting in the cars.

Wang asked the practitioners what they were doing, “We are studying the book. Who are you?” Ms. Li, in her late 60s, asked.

When Wang showed his police ID, she asked,  “What are you doing here at my home?”

“It's the pandemic, and you are violating the law by having an illegal gathering.” Wang then  ordered the practitioners to walk to the police cars, while other plainclothes officers searched and confiscated many of Ms. Li’s personal belongings.

Without any warrant, all six practitioners were taken to an interrogation room in the basement of the Li County Domestic Security Office. They were all interrogated, before being released on bail. 

Below are details of the interrogation of each practitioner.

Ms. Li Hexia

At the Domestic Security Office building, Ms. Li was taken to the restroom to be searched. The two officers who interrogated her first, Li and Qin, ordered her to sit in a metal chair. She insisted that she didn’t violate any law and refused to comply. They threatened to beat her. 

Another three officers later came to interrogate Ms. Li. They said that they confiscated a large number of materials related to Falun Gong from her home, enough to sentence her to seven or eight years. They also said as long as she lived in China under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, it was illegal to practice Falun Gong. One officer attempted to deceive her into providing information about other practitioners by telling her that others had testified against her. 

The police interrogated Ms. Li from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. on May 16, without a break. They also videotaped her and recorded her voice, before releasing her. 

Three days after she was released, Ms. Li was summoned by Liu Li, the deputy head of the Domestic Security Office, who attempted to collect her eye scan, footprint, voice print, and a sample of her blood. She firmly refused to comply. The officers finally relented and let her go home. 

Ms. Cui Shumei

Two officers questioned Ms. Cui, demanding to know her name and where she came from even though they already had the information. She refused to answer. They threatened to sentence her to seven years and her daughter-in-law to three years if she didn’t cooperate with them. 

The police ordered Ms. Cui to sign her detention notice. She again refused. After a while, the police allowed her to go home.

Ms. Wang Yuemin

While interrogating Ms. Wang, two officers asked her, “Do you know that Falun Gong is a cult?”

Ms. Wang replied, “Falun Gong isn’t a cult. The 14 cults identified by the Public Security Bureau didn’t include Falun Gong. Jiang Zemin (the former head of the Chinese Communist Party who ordered the persecution) called Falun Gong a cult himself, but what he said isn’t the law.”

They asked, “When did you go to that home to study the Falun Gong book with others? How many people were there? What’s the homeowner’s name? Do you know it’s illegal to have Falun Gong books?” Ms. Wang refused to answer.

Ms. Wang told them, “It doesn’t violate the law. The China Administration of Press and Publication lifted the ban on Falun Gong books in 2011. It’s completely legal to have and read the book. Liu Binjie, the head of the Chinese Publication Bureau, issued the notice. You can look it up yourself.” 

The police then asked, “What’s your phone number? How many children do you have?” Ms. Wang again refused to answer.

When she was asked how long she had practiced Falun Gong, she said, “I learned it in 1997. I used to have so many diseases. But I haven’t even had a cold after practicing Falun Gong.” 

Liu Li, the deputy head of the Domestic Security Office, ordered officers to collect Ms. Wang’s blood sample the next day. She didn’t let them.

“Everyone here has to do it,” Liu told her.

“I didn’t do anything wrong. If I cooperate with you, I’m harming you in allowing you to persecute me.”

Liu ordered two young men to hold Ms. Wang’s arms, while Liu held Ms. Wang’s leg. Although they didn’t succeed in collecting her blood, the two officers caused Ms. Wang’s arms to be black and blue.

The officers then gave Ms. Wang a piece of paper, which was about a seven-day detention. She refused to sign it. The police released her shortly after.

Mr. Qi Luxin 

When two officers interrogated Mr. Qi, he demanded to know their names and titles. The police said they couldn’t tell him their names, just their police IDs. Mr. Qi then asked the police why they had arrested him. 

“It’s too late to ask this question. Now it’s us interrogating you. You should just answer our questions. You are the suspect now.”

“I didn’t violate any law,” Mr. Qi said to them.

“The Communist Party doesn’t allow people to practice Falun Gong and has determined that Falun Gong is a cult. If you practice it, you are violating the law.”

Mr. Qi refuted, “The China Administration of Press and Publication has lifted the ban on Falun Gong books in 2011. No law has ever deemed Falun Gong a crime or labeled it as a cult, either. When you say I broke the law, what’s your legal basis?”

On May 17, several officers held Mr. Qi in a metal chair. They kicked him and verbally abused him. He was held in the metal chair for half an hour and then released.

Ms. Cao Hongmei 

A female officer searched Ms. Cao in the restroom. They asked her name, how many family members she has, how she took up Falun Gong, why she practiced Falun Gong, and what practitioners she had contact with.

Ms. Cao replied, “I practice Falun Gong and follow the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. I try to think of others and measure everything against the principles.”

“Are you against the Communist Party?” they asked her.

“We practitioners don’t get involved in politics.”

“Do you tell people Falun Gong is good?”

“Many people have benefitted by reciting the phrases ‘Falun Dafa is good; Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good,’ and I will tell others about it.”

The police gave Ms. Cao a watch and asked her to wear it. She noticed that the watch was sending data to the computer and also videotaping her. 

The police ordered her to sign a form on the third day. She refused. The police let her go home after videotaping her.

Ms. Liao Xiaoyan

The police collected Ms. Liao’s biometrics, including her blood sample, palm print, footprint, voice print, and eye scan.

Perpetrators’ contact information:

Wang Hui (王辉), head of Li County Domestic Security Office: [phone]Liu Li (刘丽), deputy head of Li County Domestic Security Office: [phone], [phone]